Types of websites - What will your website be?

Website or web site? Both ways are good enough to explain what it's about. If we didn't have W on our computer or phone keyboards, there wouldn't be any dilemma, but the moment we have a choice, there's the dilemma 😀.

The web is huge. So far, there are billions of websites on the network competing for a piece of attention that people devote daily to browsing the internet.

But it's useful to keep in mind that within the vast number of websites, you have many different categories of website types trying to achieve different things. As you consider how best to create your own website, think carefully about what kind of website you want it to be.

Here are eleven of the most popular types of websites you'll see across the web. Although there is some overlap between the different categories, generally each type of website has specific goals to achieve and its own set of best practices.

1. Blog
2. Business websites
3. Brochures
4. Funding website
5. E-commerce / web store
6. Educational website
7. Entertainment or media sites
8. Non-profit organization
9. Personal web presentation
10. Web portal page
11. Portfolio

What will your website be?

Blogs

A blog is a website that is regularly updated, run by an individual or a small group, and is usually written in an informal style. As for the content, when it comes to blogging, it can be anything.

Even if your website will not be a blog, it's still a useful additional feature to add interest and authority to your website. Just make sure you are committed to keeping it fresh and updated!

Learn more: 9 best blogging platforms

Business websites

A business website is any website that represents your business. Even small local businesses need a simple online presence (see "Brochure" below) to be taken seriously in today's digital world.

A website is one of the simplest ways to show what you're about and to find those all-important new customers. Your website should contain about a page and details on how people can find you. After that, the sky's the limit. See the 'E-commerce' section below for businesses planning to directly sell through their website.

Learn more: Compare the best business website builders

Brochures

When websites are categorized by functionality, a "brochure" webpage is the simplest type. Brochure websites usually contain just a few pages and are used by small businesses that need a simple online presence. They effectively act as an online brochure and give an overview of what the business is and how you can get in touch. The content on these websites is mostly quite "static" - that means it's rarely updated.

Learn more: How much does a website cost?

Funding website

A funding website is a modern way to fund your idea. From the sublime to the ridiculous, crowdfunding has been the secret to bringing everything from fidget cubes to meat soap to market.

Crowdfunding websites operate by taking "pledges" from many people to reach a target amount needed to produce a product. Popular crowdfunding websites include Kickstarter and Crowdcube.

E-commerce

An e-commerce website is any website that directly sells a product or service. Not to be confused with business websites, an e-commerce website allows you to add products or services to your cart and pay for them through the website. E-commerce is making an increasingly large part of sales in Serbia.

Educational website

The term "educational" encompasses a wide range of websites.

Educational websites use any combination of games, articles, videos, and images to educate their audience. They can be targeted towards fun learning for children or offer courses for adults, such as Coursera and EdX.

Entertainment or media sites

Media websites contain regularly updated content on current affairs, weather, sports, and entertainment. Newspaper sites like Blic and entertainment sites like ELLE fall into this category.

The content on media websites is dynamic, meaning it's regularly updated. Large media sites will publish multiple articles and videos daily.

Non-profit organization

Non-profit organizations cannot be classified as businesses in the same way, but they still need a website. It will mostly be quite simple, highlighting what the non-profit organization is about and showing visitors how they can get involved, donate, or support in some other way. Non-profit websites often have the function of collecting email addresses and creating a database of people interested in staying in touch with the organization through newsletters.

Personal web presentation

You may have heard the phrase "personal brand" thrown around, and having a website can be a huge part of this.

Share pictures, share thoughts, or treat your website as a digital CV. The choice is yours!

You don't have to be creative (see 'Portfolio' below) or a blogger (see 'Blog' above) to benefit from your website - and you don't even have to spend money on earning.

Web portal page

Portal websites, like Yahoo, gather information from a lot of different websites and present it in one place.

Web portals can be internal websites for organizations such as schools or for large businesses. It's a centralized place for sharing news, training, and updates, and giving students or employees access to emails and files. Users will need their specific login to access these portals.

Portfolio

If you're a writer, artist, or designer, you'll want to go a step beyond a personal website - a portfolio website can help with this.

They are a way for creatives to showcase their work to potential employers, market themselves as freelancers, and generally get their name (and work) out into the big wide world.

What will your website be?

If you're now more confident in which website suits you, I'm glad I could help. If you want more information about the types of sites listed here contact me for a consultation or check out my offer for website creation. Thank you for reading and have a nice day.